Weight-Loss Software > Calorie Count Weight

Best Calorie Count Weight Loss Tools

By Terry Dunkle, DietPower Editor-In-Chief*

Finding a reliable, easy-to-use calorie count weight loss tool is easy if you pay attention to these five factors:

Diary Approach

A calorie count weight loss tool that forces you to tally the calories you eat and the calories you work off in exercise is a real time-waster. Look for a tool that automatically performs this function for you as you log your daily meals, workouts, and body weight.

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The program should also calculate a daily calorie budget for reaching your goal on your target date, and deposit uneaten calories in a "bank" so you can eat them on later days.

Food Choice

Don't bother with a calorie count weight loss tool that covers fewer than 20,000 foods. These should be unique foods, not duplicates under different names such as "pancakes" and "flapjacks."

All foods should be provided by the tool's makers—not by users volunteering additional foods by keying in facts from labels. In the latter case, you are at the mercy of everyone else's typographic errors.

Finally, the tool should display not only the calories in a food, but also values for many other nutrients.

Exercise Choice

Similarly, a good calorie count weight loss tool will cover at least 500 kinds of physical activity, from traditional exercises and exercise machines to leisure pursuits and occupational tasks. It should also factor your calorie "burn" for your current weight, as well as the speed or intensity of the exercise.

"Smart" Functions

A few calorie count weight loss tools can "learn" from your actions and give you back information that others can't provide.

One example is DietPower (advertised on this page), which guarantees reaching your goal weight on your target date by automatically adjusting your daily calorie budget to your metabolism. It also recommends foods you like that are best for your Nutrition QuotientT.

Other tools may offer similarly intelligent functions. Read their feature lists carefully.

Support

Unfortunately, most calorie count tools offer either no support or poor support. Look for one that posts an 800 number on its website or promises replies to emails within 24 hours or less.

 

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*Terry Dunkle is a 30-year veteran medical journalist and consumer advocate who serves as CEO and chief editor at DietPower, Inc., a leading maker of nutrition and weight-loss software.

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